Folding stadium chair



March 20, 1962 J. L., HOLLOWAY 3,026,142

FOLDING STADIUM CHAIR Filed April 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 John L.Hal/away INVENTOR A. 98 BY March 20, 1962 J. L. HOLLOWAY FOLDING STADIUMCHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1959 John L. Holloway INVENTOR.40,61.

BY QM United I States Patent Ofitice 3,026,142 Patented Mar. 20, 19623,026,142 FOLDING STADIUM CHAIR John L. Holloway, 4039 Meadowlane Drive,Jackson, Miss. Filed Apr. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 806,502 6 Claims. (Cl.297-252) This invention relates generally to a novel chair constructionand more particularly to a folding stadium chair adapted to be utilizedwith backless stadium benches to provide increased seating comfort forthe user.

Most everyone is aware of the discomfort encountered in being seated onstadium benches for an extended time. Initially, the benches providedgenerally do not have back portions and further the seat portions aregenerally extremely hard. In view of this, it is the principal object ofthis invention to provide a novel chair construction which obviatesthese disadvantages inasmuch as the construction provides a back portionand a soft seat portion. The construction is particularly adapted forutilization with and retention on stadium benches.

I It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel stadiumchair construction which iscollapsible and compact so that it may beeasily transported by the individual user for its intended purpose.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novelstadium chair construction which is lightweight, inexpensive, anddurable.

In accordance with the above stated objects, below is particularlydescribed the novel construction and utilization of the stadium chair.Initially, the construction includes a seat portion and a back portionwhich are pivotally connected by pairs of hinge straps. The seat portionincludes first and second end members which are positioned parallel toand spaced from each other. The back portion includes a third and fourthend members which are parallel to and spaced from each other. Firstsupport means are provided between the first and second end members ofthe seat portion and second support means are positioned between thethird and fourth end members of the back portion. Each of the first andsecond support means are collapsible and include a pair of aligned andopposed U-shaped clips pivotally connected to the opposed end members.Rods are terminally and pivotally connected between the legs of theU-shaped clips and extend therefrom. The opposed rods are connected toeach other by a channel member; the rods being pivotally retained in thechannel of the channel member. It will be appreciated that the endmembers may be therefore moved toward or away from each' other bypivoting the rods to a position perpendicular to the channel memberrather than parallel thereto. Rearwardly extending hooks are provided onthe first and second end members and are adapted to abut or engage thestadium bench to retain the stadium chair comprising this inventionthereon.

Fabric portions extend between the first and second end members;andthe'thi'rd and fourth end members, respectively. The construction issuch that it may be compactly collapsed so that a chair bag may beprovided to accommodate the collapsed chair.

Other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparentreside in the details of construction and operation as more fullyhereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals referto like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the chair construction illustratedbeing utilized with a stadium bench;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the invention illustrated without theconnecting fabric portion;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a chair bag which may be provided to receivethe collapsed chair construction;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the chair constructionparticularly illustrating the support means in extended position;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the chair constructionspecifically illustrating the support means in a collapsed position;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the chair construction in a collapsedposition.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view of the chain construction showing thehinge strap and the back and seat portions pivoted to a position flushwith respect to each other; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view of the chair construction particularlyillustrating the hinge strap and the back and seat portionsperpendicularly disposed.

With continuing reference to the drawings, numeral 10 generallyrepresents the chair construction comprising this invention andincluding a back portion generally desig-' nated at 12 and a seatportion generally designated at 14.

The seat portion 14 includes first and .second end members 16 and 18which are preferably a length of aluminum, or such, piping. The backportion 12 includes third and fourth end members 20 and 22 which arelikewise formed of lengths of aluminum piping. A pair of hinge straps 24and 26 are utilized to pivotally. connect end member 20 to end member 16While a second pair of binge. straps 28 and 30 are utilized to pivotallyconnect end member 22 to end member 18. The hinge straps are allL-shaped. As is particularly illustrated in FIGURE 2, the straps 24 and26 are secured to the end member 20 by spaced pins 32 and 34 while thehinge straps 28 and 30 are secured to the end member 22 by spaced pins36 and 38. A pivot pin 40 pivotally secures the straps 24 and 26 to theend member 16 while a similar pivot pin 42 secures the straps 28 and 38to the end member 18. Accordingly, as, is particularly shown in FIGURES7 and 8, the end mem bers 20 and 22 of the back portion 12 may bepivoted about the pivot pins 48 and 42 from the perpendicularrelationship illustrated in FIGURE 8 to the collapsed parallelrelationship illustrated in FIGURE 7.

Support means 50 are provided between the end members 20 and 22 of theneck portion 12 while support means 52 are provided between end members16 and 18 of the seat portion 14. The support means 50 initially includea pair of U-shaped clips 54 and 56 which have bight portions 58 and 60respectively. Extending from the bight portion 58 are leg portions 62and 64 while leg portions 66 and 68 extend from the bight portion 68. Abolt 70 extends from the bight portion 58 while a bolt 72 extends fromthe bight portion 60. The bolts respectively pass through end members 20and 22 and are retained by nuts 74 and 76 outwardly of the end members20 and 22 and the nuts 78 and 80 between the end members and the bightportions. It will be appreciated that the U-shaped clips 54 and 56 maypivot about the bolts 76 and 72. A red 82 is pivotally retained by arivet 84 between the leg portions 62 and 64 of the U-shaped clip 54while a similar rod 86 pivotally retains by rivet 88 between the legportions 66 and 68 of the U-shaped clip 56. As illustrated in FIGURE 4,the rods 82 and 86 are substantially opposed. They are connected by achannel member 99; each being pivotally connected to the channel member96 within the channel, by rivets 92 and 94.

The support means 52 are substantially identical to the support means5!? and accordingly will not be specifically described. It will be seenthat the support means 58 as positioned in FIGURE 2 will prevent the endmembers from moving toward each other when a person leans thereagainstbetween the end members 20 and 22. In order to collapse the chair 10 tomove the end members 28 and 22 toward each other, the U-shaped clips 54and 56 of the support means 50 and the corresponding U- shaped clips ofthe support means 52 are positioned as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. Withthe U-shaped clips so disposed, the rods 82 and $6 of support means 50and the corresponding rods of support m eans 52 may be pivoted from theposition parallel to the channel member 90 to a position substantiallyperpendicular thereto, The respective end members will therefore movetoward each other and the chair construction will occupy substantiallyhalf of its expanded width.

In order to retain the chair 10 on a stadium bench 96, rearwardlyextending hooks 98 and 10% are supported from the spaced end members 16and 18 to engage the bench 96 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Further,fabric portions 102 and 104 connect the end members 20 and 22,

and 16 and 18 respectively to provide a cushioned or soft seat and backportion. It will be realized that the flexible fabric portions 102 and104 do not hinder the collapsi- 'bility of the chair construction shownin FIGURE 6.

When the chair is entirely collapsed as illustrated in FIG- URE 6 it maybe conveniently received in a bag 108 or such to facilitate the carryingthereof.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed. 7

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A collapsible stadium chair comprising a seat portion and a backportion pivotally fixed thereto, said seat portion including first andsecond end members, said back portion including third and fourth endmembers, said first and second end members being spaced andsubstantially parallel, said third and fourth end members being spacedand substantially parallel, first support means connecting said firstand second end members, second support means connecting said third andfourth end members, said first and second support means beingcollapsible and each including three substantially longitudinallyaligned elongated bracing members, means pivotally securing the adjacentends of the opposite end bracing members to the corresponding remoteends of the intermediate bracing member for rotation about parallelaxes, and means pivotally attaching each of the, remote ends of saidopposite end bracing members to the corresponding end member formovement about a pair of axes one of which extends transversely of saidcorresponding end member and the other of which extends at substantiallyright angles to said one axis, said pivotal securing means. includingmeans for preventing swinging movement of the opposite end bracingmembers secured to each of said intermediate 1 bracing members abouttheir axes of rotation to one side not that intermediate bracing memberwhereby each set of said three bracing. members, when longitudinallyaligned and forming an longated composite bracing mernher will resistfolding in all but one direction. 2. A collapsible stadium chaircomprising a seat portion and aback portion pivotally fixed thereto,said seat portion including first and second end members, said backportion including third and fourth end members, said first and secondend members being spaced and substantially parallel, said third andfourth end members being spaced and substantially parallel, firstsupport means connecting said first and second end members, secondsupport means connecting said third and fourth end members, said firstand second support means being collapsible and each including threesubstantially longitudinally aligned elongated bracing members, meanspivotally securing the adjacent ends of the opposite end bracing membersto the corresponding remote ends of the intermediate bracing member forrotation about parallel axes, and means pivotally attaching each of theremote ends of said opposite end bracing members to the correspondingend member for movement about a pair of axes one of which extendstransversely of said corresponding end member and the other of whichextends at substantially right angles to said one axis, said pivotalattaching means including a U-shaped clip having a bight portionconnecting corresponding ends of a pair of substantially parallel legs,means pivotally securing said bight portion to the corresponding endmember for rotation about an axis extending through said bight portionand paralleling said legs andtransversely through said last mentionedend member, means pivotally securing said remote end of thecorresponding opposite end bracing member to said clip for movementabout an axis extending between said legs and paralleling the axis ofrotation of the other end of said corresponding opposite end bracingmember.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said opposite end bracing membersare each in the form of an elongated rod-like member, said intermediatebracing members each comprising an elongated channel membersubstantially U-shaped in cross-section and having adjacent ends of thecorresponding opposite end members disposed therein.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a laterally offset hook membercarried by one end of each of said first and second end members witheach hook member opening toward the remote end of the corresponding endmember.

5. The combination of claim 1 including means for limiting pivotalmovement of said back portion relative to said seat portion.

6. The combination of claim 1 including a pair of fabric portionsrespectively joining said first and second end members and said thirdand fourth end members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,813,020 Brown. July 7, 1931 2,007,713 Gafiers 'July 9, 1935 2,521,114Campbell pt. 5, 1950 2,542,820 Legois Feb. 20, 1951 2,647,563 Bishop etal. Aug. 4,-19S3 2,897,912 Tucker nn Aug. 4, 1959 a V FOREIGN PATENTS406,763 France f... Dec. 15., 1909 522,006

Belgium Ana 1

